Since early September
1996, an icon of the Virgin Mary has reportedly been weeping in a small
Greek Orthodox church in Toronto, Canada. This occurrence initially
attracted crowds of people who, drawn by the press coverage, formed
long line-ups in the streets. In turn, the media dwelled on the problems
the crowds were causing to the neighbourhood, and on exposing the financial
and other troubles of the church. Although the crowds have now abated,
the church remains open to the public during the week to accommodate
visitors.

Arriving just as
the Sunday service was ending, Joseph Huard and I entered the church
to observe the picture of the Madonna, apparently a copy of an icon
from 750 AD ( Joseph is a Share International co-worker from
London, Ontario ). The picture is of a mother and child, both richly
adorned with golden clothing and jewelry. There are indeed oily streaks
which start in the crown area of the Madonna, and stop about halfway
down the picture, although at that time they did not appear to be moving.
We asked a woman who attends the church about the phenomenon, and she
said that the tears start and stop several times a day. Small pieces
of cotton have been placed at the bottom to catch the tears. A protective
piece of glass now covers the icon, so we could not inspect the cotton
or the tears by touching them.

We approached the
secretary of the church, Tom Xanthopoulos, in order to arrange an interview
with the pastor, the Reverend Ieronymos Katseas. This was, however,
not possible, in part because Reverend Katseas does not speak English,
but also because he is a defendant in a court case over his right to
claim the pulpit of the church. Mr Xanthopoulos said that he was not
at liberty to speak either, and showed his displeasure about the nature
of the publicity which has surrounded the phenomenon.

Rather than concentrating
on the miracle of the weeping, most of the press coverage has focused
on the troubles of the church. An offshoot of the mainstream Greek Orthodox
church, the congregation broke away a decade ago because of a dispute
about which calendar to use to celebrate religious holidays. According
to news reports, Father Katseas had been defrocked in 1993 by the official
Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece and the Diaspora,
for having been employed in a brothel before his ordination. Apparently,
the officials of the mainstream church have appealed to the mayor of
the city of Toronto and to the police to remove him. A spokesperson
for the official church even suggested in a letter published in one
of Toronto's main newspapers that "it would not be surprising if this
were a hoax, in order to attract people to spend money," adding to grounds
for scepticism concerning the miracle.

The financial troubles
of the church have also been highlighted by reporters. Debts from its
mortgages have accumulated since the church was founded in 1987, and
there is now a dispute before the courts involving both current and
former directors of the board. Coverage of the miracle has also focussed
on the inconvenience caused to the neighbours from increased traffic,
litter, and people seeking to use residential washrooms.

What did the church
secretary say about the icon? "For me it is a miracle, but don't believe
me. Go inside and see for yourself. That is where the power is," he
said, pointing to the icon and adding: "The church is full now on Sundays
- it did not used to be." Mr Xanthopoulos has been visibly affected
by recent events, and he continued: "This is supposed to be a democracy.
If people don't believe, why can't they respect my beliefs and simply
go away without causing harm? Even the police tried to destroy us, and
the reports in the newspapers about a mess caused in the neighbourhood
by the line-ups were all made up." He remained adamant that he did not
care what we believed, simply urging us to make up our own minds. He
said that the church would remain open to the public until such time
as the icon's tears stop.